


A Collection Of Comfort

by Cecil_G_P



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2018-11-01 19:20:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10928364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cecil_G_P/pseuds/Cecil_G_P
Summary: This is just gonna be a series of shamefully self indulgent hurt/comfort fics. I do what I want.





	1. Canceled Dates

“Hey Peter.”

“Hello Juno darling, I was just about to pick you up. Sorry I’m running a little late but-”

“Actually Peter, I think I’m gonna have to take a raincheck on the date tonight.” I wince as I try to dab at the blood oozing from my leg. Normally I would have skipped the hospital and just put up with my injury but standing made me woozy and I was sort of hoping I could spare Peter from having to play doctor. 

“Oh? Is something the matter? If it’s a case I could come help you wrap up.”

“No. No. The case just finished, but ummm I’m still dealing with the _ er clean up.  _ And I don’t think it’ll be done until much later tonight.”

“I’ll help, it’ll be infinitely more fascinating than waiting for you.”

“No, don’t-”

“You're going to need to sign these papers sir, the doctor will see you in a moment.” The hospital secretary handed me a clipboard and a pen, I nodded at him and shoved my phone between my shoulder and my ear to sign the papers.

“ _ Juno, did I just hear the word doctor?  _ Where are you? What’s wrong?” I winced again, but this time it was for the tone in Peter’s voice rather than the sting in my leg. He could get very,  _ overprotective _ , at times.

“It’s nothing important, just a scratch. I’m in the Hyperion City General ER right now. I’ll be home by midnight.”

“Juno, I’ve had to talk you into going to the hospital for a _ bullet wound _ , and you're telling me you willingly walked in for ‘just a scratch.’”

“Look it’s not a huge deal, I just didn’t want to bleed all over the carpet.”

“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“You really don’t have to.”

“I do and I will, you petulant detective.”

“Steel. The doctor will see you now.” A nurse rolled a wheel chair up to me.

“Look, I have to go, it’s my turn with the doctor.”

“I’ll be there in just a moment darling, please, please-”

“Bye Peter.” I hung up on him, frustrated with his melodrama, and let the nurse help me into a wheelchair.

 

********************************************************************************************************

 

He must have driven like a madman to get here. I wasn’t so much as ten minutes into the meeting with the doctor when Peter burst through the door, eyes wild and face pale. 

“Hey!” The doctor turned to him. “You’re not supposed to be here.” She jabbed a finger angrily in his direction.

“Actually this is my partner. Is it okay if he stays with me? He gets a little,” I glanced at his face, somewhere between concerned and murderous, “anxious.” 

She sighed. “I suppose it’s not against policy, but he has to stay out of the way or he’s going to be escorted back to the waiting room.”

“You won’t even be able to tell I’m here, promise.” Peter had regained some of his posture as he strode over to where I sat on the examination table and took one of my hands in both of his. The doctor went back to cleaning the gash in my leg, I winced again as the disinfectant set in, Peter’s hands tightened around mine minutely.

“I told you it wasn’t a big deal.” I leaned into him as I spoke.

“No offense Juno dear but you’re not always the best judge of that.”

“Sorry about the date.”

“You never have to apologize for something like this,” he pressed a kiss to my forehead, “how did this even happen?”

“I was hired to find proof of a cheating spouse to assist in a divorce settlement. They were less than thrilled to find me snooping in their yard, had some gardening shears on hand.”

“Hm.” There was a dangerous edge to his eyes.

“He’s already in custody, don’t worry about it.”

“You keep telling me not to worry, it gets less effective the more you say it.”

I groaned. “Peter, I mean it.”

The doctor finished with the her preparations. “It sounds like you had quite the night. I’m afraid I’m going to have to start the stitches now.” I turned my face into Peter’s shoulder and nodded, not particularly wanting to watch. One of his hands unwound itself from mine and his fingers in my hair made the experience infinitely more bearable.

 

********************************************************************************************************

 

Back at home we curled up in bed, my leg positioned carefully out of the way.

“Not that I’m complaining Juno but I have to ask, why did you go to the ER today?”

I looked at him incredulously. “Ummmm you did see my leg right?”

“Yes, I’m very glad you got medical attention, but I’ve had to drag you in kicking and screaming for injuries far worse. What brought this on?”

“Didn’t want to have to clean blood out of the carpet.”

“Yes you said,” he rested his head atop of mine, “it’s just not a very convincing reason.”

I sighed and rubbed my hand down my face, the side without an eye. “It’s just, well, you always get so worked up about things like this. I was kinda hoping I could get it patched up without you noticing.” 

“Juno, you’re limping, I’d have noticed.”

“It was worth a shot.”

“You don’t have to hide these things from me you know. What you call getting ‘worked up’ is generally known as rational concern for another human being, one whom I care about very much.”

I wasn’t sure what to say to that so I just leaned into him a little more and shut my eye.

“I’m glad you went to the ER, I hope you’ll do it for your own sake next time instead of mine.”

“Yeah yeah.”

He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of my head.

“Sorry about the date.”

“Don’t be, you couldn’t have known this would happen.”

“But I am. I was looking forward to it.”

“Shhh darling, we’ll have one tomorrow if you're feeling up to it. Now rest.”

“Peter?”

“Mmmm?”

“Thanks for showing up at the hospital for me.”

“Of course dear.”


	2. My Favorite Fanfic Trope Of All Time I Don't Care If It's Cheesy

There was no way the gangster was getting away with that evidence. It was absolutely vital to the case Juno was working on and if he let that gangster out of his sight with it he was sure to destroy it. So here Juno was, gasping for breath, heart pumping, running after the man as fast as his legs could carry him. In the distance behind him he could hear Peter trying to keep up.

He tuned him out, Peter would catch up eventually and in the meantime Juno needed to make sure their guy wasn't going to get away. He focused on regulating his breathing, one breath in, one breath out. He could see the fog of his breath in the cold night air. The chill felt good on his sweaty skin.

He rounded a building after the gangster and found him backed against the Amenthes Canal. The rushing water was a more effective barrier than any wall- the gangster was trapped. Juno pointed his stun gun at the man, hoping that his practice shooting with just the one eye was about to pay off. 

“Just drop the package, nice and easy. Nobody has to get hurt.”

The gangster rushed at Juno, he tried to stun him but the shot went just a little too wide.

“Oh damn it all…” he ran to intercept the gangster hoping to clobber him on the head but his opponent was a practiced fighter. He dodged Juno’s fist easily and returned his own blow. Juno stepped aside and raised his blaster again- surely he could hit the man from this close. But before he could take the shot he felt his legs getting kicked out from under him and a rough hand on his back, pushing him forwards. 

Juno prepared to roll over his shoulder to lessen the impact but instead of concrete his shoulder made contact with the freezing water of the Amenthes. Behind him he heard Peter, finally having caught up.

“Ju-” the rush of water cut off the rest of his panicked shout.

Once under the water Juno held his breath, holding out desperately against the cold shock. He was whipped along by the impossibly fast and turbulent water, getting so tumbled and turned around that he could no longer tell which way was up and which was down. 

The icy water was numbing him quickly but his heart was pounding with adrenaline. He needed to find his way up, his way out. He flung his arms and legs out, hoping to catch the wall but also fearing the damage such an impact might do. But there was no choice- if he was to get out of here he had to remain stable long enough to orient himself. 

His foot hit something hard, the impact almost making him release the last of his air. Fortunately whatever it was had gotten his foot caught up in it enough to stop him. He twisted around, careful not to dislodge his foot and grabbed at the rope he was apparently tangled in.  

He clung to the rope for dear life, but he was already losing finger dexterity and couldn't even tell which way was up. The cold felt like it was leaching into his brain, slowing his thoughts, stopping his limbs, he was barely even shivering anymore. He released the last of his air, hoping he could see which way the bubbles floated before they were whisked off in the current. 

There! They drifted towards his feet! Juno realised he must be completely upside down! Without the air, he now had little to no time left so he fought against the current, grasping the ropes with all of his -albeit fading- strength and tried to climb his way up. His vision was swimming with spots. Juno hoped he wasn't far from the surface, passing out now would mean certain death. Did Peter get out safe? Did he get the evidence? Juno swore, if that motherfucker touched Peter not even death would save him from Juno. 

After what seemed like an eternity, but couldn't have been more than 30 seconds, his hand broke the surface of the water. He reached up, searching for a handhold but finding none. Was he even close to the walls of the canal? He tried to get further up, for his head to breach the surface so he could take a breath- but that's when the other shoe dropped. The rope his foot was tangled in, the only thing keeping him from getting whisked off by the current, was simultaneously the only thing keeping him from the surface. He kicked his legs hard, trying to loosen the ropes a little but the darkness was encroaching on his vision and as hard as he could kick turned out not to be very hard at all.

He could feel his hand starting to slip back under the water.

Suddenly there was a warm hand surrounding his, pulling him up. The last of the tangled ropes broke free from his foot and he almost slipped back with the current but the hands -there were two of them now- had a firm grasp on his arm. As they pulled him up and his head finally met the air and he tried to take a greedy breath but only ended up coughing and spluttering.

His chest met a cold metal floor and he threw both his arms around the small strip of solid something. The hands moved to under his shoulders, trying to lift him further out of the water, and then to his waist pulling the rest of his body up and out of the freezing water. The windchill chased away what little feeling he had left in his body as he went totally numb.

“Juno! Juno! Oh Juno!” Peter’s voice swam through his waterlogged ears as he started hacking water out of his lungs. The warm hands were back, holding him up and rubbing his back as he sputtered, hacking up a lung.

“Juno? Can you hear me? Can you say something? Anything?  _ Juno please! _ ”

As the coughing died down and Juno was finally able to get a lungfull of the mercifully dry air he rubbed at his eye, trying to get his bearings. The world swam into view. 

Him and Peter were curled on the floor of speeder, hovering mere inches from the rushing water below in the middle of the canal. Peter was still rubbing his back with one hand, the other gripped his shoulder. He leaned into the thief a little, marveling at just how warm he was.

“Juno! Juno please!” Maybe it was just the spray of the canal, but it looked like Peter was crying.

“D-d-did that b-bastard hurt you?” At the sound of his voice Peter shut up immediately. He wrapped Juno in a tight hug.

“Juno,” he choked out, “are you ok? How are you feeling?” 

“Never better,” he muttered weakly into Peter’s shoulder, shutting his eyes blissfully. Peter however tsked at him and pulled back. Juno whined slightly at the loss of contact.

“Don’t say that! I don't even know why i asked- you are  _ clearly not ok _ .” He started smoothing juno hair back and looking him up and down “You’re not even shivering..” he muttered before stripping Juno’s soaked trenchcoat off.

“Hey hey! You gotta… you gotta buy a lady a drink first!”

“You're delirious.  Now let me get this off of you, it’s soaked.” As soon as he got the coat off and started working on his shirt 

“Nooooo it's the rules… you gotta get the drink...” he struggled against Peter weakly.

“I’ll get you several later dear, would that be acceptable?”

“Yeah ok.” Juno sighed and let peter work his shirt off him. Then he stripped his own jacket off and wrapped it around juno, buttoning it at the neck. It didn't really fit, too tall and slim to button all the way down but it would have to do. 

“Come on. Let's get you home.” he pressed a kiss to Juno’s frozen forehead and helped him into the seat. He stood behind Juno and reached around him to steer the speeder, along with providing warmth, and trying to make sure juno was in a position where he wouldn't fall off the speeder. He took off as quickly as he dared, the nightlife of Hyperion city buzzing below them. 

The speeder was maybe the quickest way to get juno home but definitely not the warmest. Peter himself was shaking as the cold air whipped around them. Juno however still wasn't shivering, a very bad sign. He was too cold, almost certainly hypothermic at this point. But the only thing he could do for him now was get him home as soon as possible. 

“How are you feeling darling?” He shouted over the wind, more to make sure Juno was still awake then anything else.

“Like I just swallowed a river.”

Peter smiled a bit. At least he was lucid enough to be snarky. 

He skipped the building's lobby and stairs in favor of idling the speeder next to one of the windows. He made short work of the lock and helped Juno off the speeder and through the window. He heard a crash as the detective staggered into his apartment on his own and slid in after him as quickly as possible.

Peter threw the evidence at the couch and went to crouch by Juno, who was trying and failing to stand up. He helped him into a sitting position, leaning on the wall.

“No no no. You don’t have to stand yet. Let's get the rest of those clothes off of you.” Peter left his jacket draped around Juno but helped him work his shoes and pants off. The left ankle looked dislocated and swollen but not as deadly as the hypothermia he knew Juno to be facing. He took the detective's freezing hands in his and breathed on them. He met detective’s eyes and found to his horror that they were blinking closed. “Stay with me Juno! You can’t fall asleep yet!” He tapped his cheeks to grab his attention. 

“Hhhh-M! I’M AWake! Awake!”

“Do you think you can stay awake?”

Juno blinked rapidly and tried to sit up a little. “Yeah, yeah. Sure.”

Peter frowned, not willing to accept the assurance at face value but knew he needed to step away from Juno for a moment to collect supplies. “I'll be right back love. Stay awake.”

He ran around the apartment in a frenzy, turning on the lights and heater, gathering all the towels and blankets he could carry, and grabbing some dry clothes for Juno to change into. He set the pile down beside Juno and got to work with a towel. 

Juno was drowsy, the adrenaline had worn off and the feeling of being back home, of being with peter, of being safe, was overwhelming and ready to lull him to sleep. He felt burning hot hands take his and even hotter air blow onto them. Distantly he realised that he was probably the one who was cold and not Peter who was so feverishly warm. The thief had sounded panicked when he reminded him to stay awake and he did his best to blink his eyes open. It seemed only seconds later when Peter was back at his side and taking his jacket off of Juno. 

Suddenly he realised that the jacket was the only piece of clothing left on him. And sure- Peter had seen him naked plenty of times before but being naked as a result of an illness or injury left him feeling exposed and embarrassed in ways he never thought he could be with Peter. The embarrassment was only heightened when Peter started towel drying him like some sort of infant.

“Hey, hey, I can- I can do it myself.”

“Sweetheart you can barely lift your head.” Peter rolled his eyes. The detective could be so stubborn sometimes. But he had no time to indulge in that now. The longer Juno was wet, the longer he was cold, the longer he was in danger. He finished drying him off as quickly as possible and stuffed him into the warmest pajamas he could find. He finished the ensemble off with two pairs of socks and several blankets expertly wrapped around him. 

Juno was shaking like a leaf now. As concerning as it appeared Peter reminded himself it was a good sign- his body was finally in a state where it could try to warm itself back up. He scooted Juno away from the wall a little bit and nudged himself behind him so that he was basically spooning Juno. The detective -finally feeling the mind numbing cold again- pressed his back into Peter’s chest greedily, seeking out warmth. He bit back a flinch at how cold Juno was and got to work plugging the hairdryer into the wall and passing the warm air over Juno’s hair. He worked the dryer and a towel through his hair until it was warm and fluffy. 

Next he reached around Juno’s waist and grasped his hands in his and brought the hairdryer around with the other. He ran the hot air over his hands several times before unplugging the hairdryers and enveloping Juno in another tight hug.    

“How’re you feeling love? And don’t you dare say fine! You're still shaking!”

Juno sighed. “B-b-etter.” 

“And?”

“And still p-p-pretty cold I g-guess. And tired.” 

Peter hummed into Juno’s hair. “As soon as I wrap your ankle up we can move to the bed. Promise.”

Reluctantly Peter stood back up again to get the first aid kit. He also paused to put a kettle on the stove to start tea. Kneeling down in front of Juno’s leg he started tending to the injury. It was quiet for a few minutes.

“You know...” 

Peter hummed in response.

“You never did answer my question.”

“What question?”

“Did that asshole hurt you?”

“Wha-? Oh Juno…” Peter paused in wrapping the bandages. “I’m flattered that you’re concerned but no. He never even got the chance.”

“That sounds a little ominous.” Peter took a moment to appreciate that Juno was warmed up enough that the stammer was going down.

“The police will find his body in the morning. But the knife in his neck is free of DNA evidence. Nothing will incriminate us in the investigation.

“Jeeze. You didn’t have to kill him.”

“And he didn’t have to push you into the Amenthes!” There was another bout of silence as Peter clipped the bandage together. “Oh. And I got the evidence.” He gestured to the couch as he stood to put the first aid kit away. 

“Oh thank fuck! That would’ve been a pain in the ass to loose!”

“Let's get you to bed, shall we?” He helped Juno to his feet and into the bedroom where he all about collapsed into the pillows. Peter readjusted the blankets around Juno and bundled the duvet over him. He felt Juno’s forehead and cheeks -still chilled but much warmer than earlier- before stepped out for just a moment to get the tea and some painkillers. He handed them to Juno as he finally changed into his own pajamas and slipped into bed beside him.

Peter’s arms snaked around Juno’s waist and rested his head on top of Juno’s. The occasional shiver still wracked his body but he was faring much better now. The detective placed his mug on the bedside table and leaned more fully into Peter’s warm embrace.

“Hey, so, um…” 

“Yes dear?”

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“Ya know… for saving me, and you know, for taking care of me.”

He laughed a little into Juno’s hair, the detective could be so dense sometimes. “You don’t need to thank me for that Juno. I love you and that comes with fun features such as not wanting you to die.”

“Well thanks anyways. And um… I love you too.”

Peter felt his heart thump harder at the admission. It had taken so long for Juno to be able to say that. He tilted Juno’s head back a bit and placed a kiss on his forehead. 

A giggle escaped Juno, “if this is what it takes to get pampered maybe I should fall into rivers more often.”

Peter’s heart seizes a little and he tightens his arms around Juno.“Actually I think I’m going to have insist on a strict no-falling-in-rivers-policy from now on.” 

“Whatever you say dear.” Juno could feel his eyes growing heavy. He leaned more heavily into the soft warmth that was Peter Nureyev and let himself fall asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell I don't know how to end stories?


	3. I'm a Ridiculous Human Being Who Only Writes Stupid Shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is stupid.

 

We’re running out of a burning building. 

Well… 

Actually….

I’m running out of a burning building. 

Peter’s thrown over my shoulders in a fireman’s carry as I weave through the flames and smoke, trying to find a door. 

“Put me down! It’s just a fracture!”

“Not a chance.” I yell back at him. Knowing him he probably could run on his damaged ankle, but there was no guarantee he would be fast enough. And besides, it’d exacerbate the injury. Finally, I find an opening, a portion of the wall had collapsed into smoking rubble. I dash through it and put a couple more buildings between us and the fire for good measure. 

“Oh for goodness sake Juno, put me down, there’s no need for you to exhaust yourself like this.”

Finally I oblige, setting him down on the steps of an apartment complex, in the distance I hear fire engines. I sit down beside him.

“We should probably get out of here before we’re spotted. Don’t want to get blamed for this whole fiasco.”

“Yes, but in a moment, catch your breath first love.” 

“I’m fine.” I protest, but I don’t move from the steps quite yet. We’re not that far from the arson fire the triad had started but we’re far enough for it to feel peaceful. I look over Peter’s swollen ankle. “How’s your ankle?”

“It’s fine you idiot, you didn’t have to carry me.”

“You’d have made it worse.”

“I know my limits Juno, and this is well within them.”

“Yeah, but you didn't have to run on it, it wasn’t necessary.”

Peter sighed but there was a hint of smile tugging at his lips. “It’s no use arguing with you is there?” 

“What’s the problem? I got us out didn’t I?”

“You did.” The smile he gave me was so soft and sweet it just about made me melt. And the kiss that followed it was even sweeter. 


	4. 5 Times Peter Reached For Juno's Hand And One Time Juno Reached For Peter's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uhhhhh. Idk why this one turned out the way it did but I think it turned out well?  
> PS: I listened to Seventeen by Peach Pit on repeat while writing this and it doesn't actually fit the fic but it's a heckin good song and I'll promo it if I want to.

1

It started with a visit to Phobos. I’d never been offworld before and the idea of spaceships made me queasy. Peter had suggested we take a trip to one Mars’s moons -Phobos- to help get me more comfortable with the whole experience. Being the larger of the two moons Phobos was home to a museum and theme park. It was a little cheesy but still fun.

The spaceport had been so busy. And Peter, with his long legs and nose stuck in a travel guide, got a little too far ahead of me. I was struggling to keep up, trying to pick out his tall self out from a crowd of other tall people. Or average height, as Peter would call them. It’s not my fault I’m a damn half foot shorter than everyone else but boy does he love to rub it in.

I reach a fork in the spaceport hallway and try to look around for Peter or something recognizable but all there are is overpriced gift shops as far as the eye could see. I was just starting to root around my bags for my comms when I hear a faint shout of “Juno” from the crowd. Not a second after I look up, Peter comes marching into view, against the flow of foot traffic no less.

“There you are.” His hand closes around mine as he kisses my forehead. He pulls back with a smile. “Thought I lost you for a moment there. Come on, the terminal is this way.”

2

The theme park isn’t quite as busy as the spaceport but it’s still pretty packed. I feel a set of fingers tangle with mine as we set foot through the gates.

“Wouldn’t want to lose you again, dear. You are a little hard to spot in a crowd.”

“I’m not that short.”

“Positively diminutive.” He teases.

3

Next time is on a case. We’re at a party, hoping to catch a kidnapper in the act. I’m wandering off to find a drink when the now familiar feel of Peter’s hand finds mine. He pecks my cheek and murmurs. “Don’t want to get seperated now do we?” I must admit, it helps make our appearance at the party look a little less suspicious.

4

On our way to dinner a week later we almost get seperated by a crowd of people. At the last second he slides his fingers in mine and grabs my arm with his other hand, pulling us together. The crowd parts around us, the new obstacle in the road. It’s effective but having him hanging off my arm the way he does makes my face heat up. But I make no move to shove him off. 

5

It’s when we're at the grocery store when I finally start to get suspicious. Peter’s got the basket in one hand and my hand in his other. There’s like three other people in this aisle. No way we could get separated. Part of me wants to point it and take childish glee in it. The other part of me -the part that’s busy paying attention to the warmth of Peter’s hand in mine- tells me to shut the hell up.

+1

It’s my first trip to a whole other planet, and as we step out of the terminal and I get my first glimpse of Earth with it’s organic atmosphere and sky the wrong color I feel amazed, but also more lost than ever. I find myself reaching for Peter’s hand. His palm against mine, fingers entwined, the way he leans into me a little like he’s caught in my own personal orbit. It… grounds me.

“What do you think, love?”

“It’s……. Incredible.” 

Maybe I’m on Earth today, and maybe I’ll be back on Mars next week, and maybe in a month I’ll be on a different planet altogether, but I’m not lost. Not so long as Peter’s hand is in mine.


	5. Phobia

He never intended to go back to mars, let alone be tied up and dragged back there, and yet here he is. Peter sat patiently in the chair he was tied to and took stock of the room he was in. It was near the top of an abandoned office building, the floor to ceiling glass was cracked and dirty but still intact enough to provide protection from the simwind that blew so strong this high up. There was trash and exposed wire scattered across the floors and a small pile of supplies that belonged to his captor- rope and the like.

Speaking of the the man who kidnapped him, he had left the room a little while ago. Normally Peter would spend this time escaping but he had decided he wanted to figure out exactly why he had been kidnapped first. The sound of struggling drifted through the door and when the man walked back into the room he wasn’t alone. Peter’s heart seized in his chest at the sight of Juno -tied up and bruised- being dragged into the room. Juno looked equally surprised to see Peter, his eyes bugging out of his head at the sight of him. However, when the man turned back to face him Juno schooled his expression into one of blank confusion.

“Who is this man?” The man jabbed a finger at Peter with one hand and twisted Juno’s arm with the other.

“No idea! I don’t know why you’re asking me!”

“Cut the crap! I know you’re lying!”

“Well apparently you don’t know jack shit! I’ve never seen that guy before in my life!”

The man scoffed and looked at Juno sardonically.

“Oh I know a lot. I know you’ve worked with him on more than one occasion! And I also know what might make you talk!”

“Oh yeah? Like whaAAAAAAAAAAA”

The mysterious kidnaper had whipped a blaster out of his jacket and shot at the window, shattering the glass and opening a large portion of the window open to strong winds and an unsavory drop to the pavement below. In another motion he had dragged Juno over to the window and shoved him through. The only thing keeping him from an untimely death was the man’s grip on his forearm and the precarious perch of his shoes on the very edge of the floor.

Juno screamed and immediately started pinwheeling his free arm. His gaze seemed to be fixated on the ground below. Peter nearly jumped out of his chair to help, he would have too if it wasn’t for the ropes around his wrists and torso. He swore under his breath and tried to arch his back as much as he could, attempting to reach the laser cutter in his back pocket.

“Who is he?” The man growled again. 

“I don’t know!” He sounded on the edge of hysteria.

“Juno! Just tell him!” He was almost there, he could feel his fingertips grazing the laser cutter, and his heart beating in his throat. God knows what this position is doing to his wrists but it’s nowhere near as bad as what that kind of fall would do to Juno.

“What?!”

“Yeah, Juno! Just tell me! My hand is getting awfully tired!”

“But you’re real name!”

“Is not worth your life, Juno!” His grasp on the cutter in tenuous but it’s there.

“But!”

“For god’s sake! My name is Peter Nureyev!” He slices through the ropes as he says it but holds them in place, hoping that maybe the man won’t notice. 

The man’s eyes light up and a wicked smile crosses his face. Nureyev doesn’t need an ancient martian pill to read the thought as it crosses his face. 

“No!” He shouts and leaps up from the chair and lunges towards Juno, dropping the ropes just like the kidnapper drops Juno. The look of terror on Juno’s face and the scream that follows will be burned into Peter’s brain for the rest of his life. He catches Juno’s arm just before his feet slip off the edge and pulls him back through the window as hard as he physically can. The detective falls onto him, toppling them both to the floor.

Meanwhile the kidnapper had stumbled back in surprise at Peter’s escape- and dropped his gun in the process. Peter shoves Juno off him and plunges his laser cutter deep in the man’s neck before he can recover from the shock. He falls back to the floor with a gurgle before falling silent.

Peter turns back to Juno who’s kneeling and gasping for breath, shaking like a leaf with his arms wrapped around himself. He looks like he’s either having a panic attack or about to. Peter drops to his own knees in front of the detective and runs his hands along Juno’s arms. 

“Oh Juno.” He says it in part because it’s all he can think to say, and in part because he’s also trying to catch his breath, which has gone rapid with panic and adrenaline. 

He thinks he sees tears in his eyes, but doesn’t get more than a glimpse before Juno drops his head onto Peter’s shoulders and gasps out what sounds like it might be sobs. Peter’s wraps him in a hug, pressing his cheek into the detective’s hair and running his hands up and down his back in a way he hopes is comforting. 

There’s no telling how long they sit there for, shaking together not ten feet away from the window because neither of them can find it in them to stand, keeping each other warm against the freezing sim wind. But after a good while their breath slows, and the shaking goes down, and Peter’s hands still. Juno pulls away first to wipe a few stray tears from his eyes.

“How’re you doing?” Peter’s voice is a whisper.

“‘M Fine.” Juno says despite being clearly not fine. “Hey, you wanna get a little further away from this window?”

“Definitely.”  

Peter stands first and offers a hand to Juno who takes it. He pulls Juno to his feet and doesn’t let go when he leads the detective back through the doorway to the other room. Juno doesn't try to pull away.

“Are you ok?” 

Peter blinks at him. They’re not very far down the stairs yet and Juno hasn’t taken his hand back. It’s warm and comforting in his own. “I’m not the one who got dangled out the window.”

“Yeah, but you were tied up. You ok?”

“Nothing but bruises. You on the other hand,” -he raises the slightly bloody hand he’s holding- “look like you got cut up pretty badly from the glass.”

“They’re just little cuts. Nothing major.”

“Hmmmmm.” Peter hums and absentmindedly raises Juno’s cut up knuckles to his lips, kissing them before he can think about why he shouldn’t. “I can bandage it for you, I just need to find a first aid kit.”

“There’s one at my place. That is- uh…. if you want to come over.”

“I’d like nothing more.”


	6. The Classic SickFic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this was very very based off this tumblr post that was like a sicfic prompt idea thing? And I was gonna link it cause it rly deserves credit for like the entire plot structure here but I fuckin lost the post so uhhhhhhhhhhh oops. Link me if u find it so I can fuckin credit it.

Peter tapped Juno’s number into his most recent burner phone. He’s been away for over a month now and the separation had been getting to him a little more than he cared to admit. He made sure to call Juno as often as he could however, and recently he’d been calling almost daily. And not just because he missed his dear detective. About a week ago Juno’s voice sounded…… off. When he asked about it Juno assured him everything was fine -it’s just a sore throat- but each day after that he sounded progressively worse. Again Juno insisted it was just a cough, but he had an annoying habit of downplaying his injuries and illnesses. Juno wasn’t a good liar at the best of times, and trying to convince a master thief that he wasn’t sick when he was, well that was anything but the best of times. 

He frowned as he got Juno’s voicemail. Sure Peter didn’t have a regular phone number, but they had agreed upon a time for the call. And Juno hadn’t missed one yet. He hung up instead of leaving a message and thought for a second. He had planned on swinging by a couple more marks before making his great escape back to mars, but the plans weren’t necessarily time sensitive. And if Juno was sick there was no way in hell he was taking care of himself properly, Rita tried to help but she could only do so much, and the thought of seeing his detective again was very welcome. 

He decided to call Juno one more time, just in case. He was about to give up but on the second to last ring the call picked up.

“Hey.” Juno’s voice was very soft and raspy, and he sounded very tired.

“Juno, dear? Are you alright?” 

A weak, noncommittal noise, played through the phone. The fact that Juno wasn’t even trying to insist he was fine anymore spoke volumes.

“Oh darling, you sound awful! I finished my plans a little early,” he hedged, “I’ll be back in a day or two!”

***

Peter’s eyes had a little trouble adjusting as he stepped into the apartment. It was bright outside but the thick curtains had been drawn shut over the windows. Juno was sprawled across the couch, one hand over his forehead, the other dangling over the edge. He turned his head towards Peter, brows drawn in confusion.

“You’re back early?” Peter could barely hear him as he dropped his bags in the hallway and locked the door.

“Yes. I told you I finished early the other day, remember?” He strode over to Juno and placed a hand to his forehead, frowning at how warm it was.

“Oh…” Juno mumbled before being thrown into a violent coughing fit. Peter’s own chest ached in sympathy at the sound of it. “Sorry.” He muttered hoarsely.  

“Shhhhhhh. You don’t need to apologize for being sick.” He stroked Juno’s hair and noticed the detective was trembling slightly. “Let’s get you into bed.” 

He put one of Juno’s arms around his shoulder and helped support his weight as he stumbled into the bedroom. Juno clung to him, giggling deliriously. 

“Missed you.” He nuzzled into Peter’s neck as he tried to tuck him into bed.

“Yes, I missed you too, love.” Peter placed a kiss on his forehead, and unwound Juno’s arms from around his neck. “I’ll be right back.”

He sat at the edge of the bed and held a glass of water to Juno’s lips. After convincing him to drink about half the glass he pressed one of Juno’s many cold packs to his forehead.

“When’s the last time you ate something?”

In lieu of answering Juno succumbed to another coughing fit. Peter just kept stroking his hair until it was through. Before he had a chance to offer more water Juno was trying to sit up.

“Shhhhhhh, dear, lay back down.” But before he could push him back down Juno had wrapped his arms around Peter’s waist and rested his head on Peter’s shoulder. He sighed and returned the hug, running a hand up and down his back.

“Do you need anything? More water?”

“You didn’t have to come back early just  because of m-”

“Shhhhh, rest your voice love. 

“Dammit Peter.”

“Of course I came back, you’re hardly in a state to take care of yourself.”

“‘Was doing just fine.”

“Remind me, how long have you been on that couch for?”

Juno gave a hoarse laugh. “Honestly, I have no idea.”

Peter hummed into his hair. “Of course I came back darling, I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *drum roll* I still don't know how to end stories non-awkwardly!!! Hope u enjoy 'cause this was fun to write! And it ya'll want to prompt me or somethin I would be sooooo delighted so just put the prompt in the comments! (I don't do porn tho, sorry)

**Author's Note:**

> hang out with me on tumblr @theflatwoodsmonsterisalesbian if u want, it's not specifically a tpp blog tho


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